Review posted for Panasonic DMC-FZ15
15:45 EDT - Panasonic has been making a name for themselves in the long-zoom digicam category, in part thanks to their optical image stabilization technology.
After much delay, we've finally gotten our hands on an eval sample of a Panasonic camera, in this case the 12x zoom 4 megapixel DMC-FZ15. On the whole, I was very favorably impressed with the FZ15. It...
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Review posted for Fujifilm E500
15:41 EDT - The 4 megapixel, 3.2x zoom Fuji FinePix E500 offers a good assortment of features and generally good color in a compact stylish package, all at an attractive price.
It's a very workmanlike digicam, and would make a good choice for many situations where novices and slightly more advanced users have to share a camera between them. While a decent enough camera though,...
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Polaroid x530 reaches photographers
14:53 EDT - News from a variety of British digital camera sites suggests that the Polaroid x530 digital camera has finally gone on sale in that country.
Actually manufactured manufactured by Hong Kong-based World Wide Licenses Ltd. and sold under the Polaroid brandname as part of an agreement formed during Polaroid's bankruptcy in 2002, the x530 is the...
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Kowa TD-1 to ship, finally?
14:32 EDT - An email from IR reader "Gary" tells us that Kowa's long-awaited TD-1 Spotting Scope / DSC may soon start shipping in the USA.
First announced way back in March 2003, the TD-1 features a combination of a 3.14 megapixel CCD imager with a 3x zoom spotting scope that gives 35mm-equivalent focal lengths from 450 to an impressive 1350mm....
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Velvia Vision plugin released
17:31 EDT - Pro photographer Fred Miranda, whose name regular readers will recognize for his excellent series of PhotoShop actions for removing noise, recovering highlights and more, has just released another new tool for you digital arsenal that aims to give your images the look of Velvia film.
The plugin for Photoshop 6, 7 or CS, has quite a few features: 200% range of error-free color enhancement intensity slider. (-100 to 100%) Smart Contrast enhances tonal range whenever needed without clipping...
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PRESS RELEASE: Casio Launches Exciting New Exilim.Casio Website
11:07 EDT - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Casio's Newest Digital Cameras Consolidated In One New Easy-To-Navigate Website DOVER, NJ, October 25, 2004 - CASIO, Inc. is making it easier than ever for digital camera buffs and potential buyers to find out everything they need to know with the launch of the new http://exilim.casio.com website. The website is specially dedicated to provide consumers with... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Sandisk Doubles Storage Capacity Of Its Small Form Factor Cards For Mobile Phones
10:55 EDT - SanDisk miniSD and RS-MMC Cards Increase To 512-Megabyte Capacities; New Capacities Needed for Digital Music, Photos And Other Storage-Intensive Features On The Latest Mobile Devices San Francisco, CA, Oct. 26, 2004 – SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) announced today that it is doubling the current maximum capacities of its popular SanDisk miniSD™ and SanDisk RS-MMC™ cards... (More)

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Apple introduces iPod Photo
16:44 EDT - Apple Computer Inc. has today announced a new addition to its popular iPod line of audio players, newly updated with the ability to view photos.
The iPod Photo features a two-inch LCD display with 65,536 possible colors, IEEE 1394 FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity, and a choice of 40GB or 60GB hard disks. The device also features video / audio...
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Rolleiflex MiniDigi comes to the USA
12:29 EDT - A press release today from Rollei Logistics announces that the Rolleiflex MiniDigi digital camera, a two megapixel model announced in Japan last March, will be coming to the US market.
The specifications have again been updated slightly from when the camera was first announced. The MiniDigi features a square CMOS sensor with a resolution of two megapixels, coupled with a 9mm fixed focus...
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Monday, October 25, 2004

Review posted for Kodak EasyShare DX7590
09:48 EDT - Kodak's EasyShare digital cameras are consistently among the easiest to use of any I test, and the DX7590 certainly holds true to form.
Its fully automatic exposure control performs very well under a variety of conditions, and the range of manual exposure controls extend the camera's capabilities nicely. A wide range of preset scene modes...
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PRESS RELEASE: The Epson R-D1 - The World's First Rangefinder Digital Camera Begins Shipping In United States On Nov. 1
08:37 EDT - New Digital Rangefinder System is the First Digital Camera to Support L/M-Mount Lenses LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 21, 2004 – Epson America Inc. has achieved another digital photography breakthrough with the introduction of the EPSON R-D1—the world’s first rangefinder digital camera. This camera was introduced in Japan earlier this year and will now be shipping in the United States... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Phase One announces 2005 support for Adobe DNG Digital Negative Specification
07:39 EDT - Phase One A/S, Copenhagen, October 21th, 2004: Phase One®, a world leader in digital camera backs and DSLR RAW conversion software, welcomes Adobe's latest initiative, the Digital Negative Specification (DNG), as an important step in facilitating the wider usage of raw formats. Phase One is announcing today the support of the Adobe DNG specification in upcoming releases of its highly respected... (More)

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Maxxum 7D: pricing info
19:10 EDT - We've now received information on expected US pricing for Konica Minolta's upcoming Maxxum 7 Digital - alternatively known as the Maxxum 7D (and, we believe, to be known in Europe as the Dynax 7 Digital).
Pricing is currently planned at US$1599 for the camera body only, and the kit will include a coupon for a US$150 discount off the purchase of any AF lens along with the camera body. This puts the Maxxum...
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PRESS RELEASE: Profile Prism v5.0 released
15:27 EDT - Digital Domain Inc. would like to announce the release of Profile Prism v5.0. Our professional scanner based printer profiling tool has just reached the next level with a visual profile editor that is capable of precise editing of printer profiles through a defined workflow. A quality scanner based profiling tool like Profile Prism is very helpful in color managing "screen to print" color, however,... (More)

Friday, October 22, 2004

Creo announces iQsmart1 scanner
16:50 EDT - Creo Inc. has announced that it is showing the new iQsmart1 flatbed scanner for the first time in North America at the PhotoPlus Expo 2004, now under way in New York, NY.
The Creo iQsmart1 is a color scanner with a trilinear 10,200 pixel imaging element, capable of scanning reflective and transparent materials (both positive and negative, as well as glass photographic...
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PRESS RELEASE: FlashFixers Announces ImageRecall 3 Now Recovers More Image Formats Than Any Other Digital Photo Recovery Software Including RAW Formats
13:03 EDT - ImageRecall 3 also adds new speed enhancements and an upgraded user interface, making it the fastest, easiest and most complete solution available for digital image recovery. PhotoPlus - New York, NY - October 21, 2004 - Keeping pace with advances in digital photography, FlashFixers announces ImageRecall 3 now offers expanded recovery support for all known camera RAW and standard image formats, as... (More)

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Fujifilm announces FinePix S3 Pro pricing
12:00 EDT - Fuji Photo Film USA Inc. has today announced pricing for its upcoming FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR.
First announced back in February before the annual PMA show in Las Vegas, the S3 Pro features a SuperCCD SR II image sensor that delivers an image resolution of 6.17 megapixels (effective) with an extended...
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DxO Optics Pro v2.0, RAW processing, price updates
08:00 EDT - DxO Labs, the company behind the DxO Optics Pro program that aims to correct for common flaws in digital images with minimal user intervention, has today announced a new version of its software.
DxO Optics Pro v2.0, available immediately, now offers support for RAW files from a number of cameras courtesy of the new DxO Raw Engine. It also adds greater control over the correction process, with...
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Review posted for Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3
00:55 EDT - The original DiMAGE Z1 was clearly one of the best long-zoom digicam bargains on the market, a fact that no doubt contributed to its being one of the most popular cameras on the entire IR site during its release year.
When the Z2 came along, it extended the Z1's already marvelous capabilities with a higher-resolution CCD chip, expanded continuous shooting and movie mode options, and a few other more minor enhancements,...
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Review posted for Canon PowerShot A95
00:53 EDT - Every now and then, a digicam comes along that just seems to get everything right, and the Canon PowerShot A95 is one of these.
In virtually all respects (color, resolution, image noise), its images are good to excellent, and its range of features and capabilities is hard to beat for the price. Its 5-megapixel CCD and good-quality...
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Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Samsung: First 5mpix camera phone
13:25 EDT - Korean electronics giant Samsung has announced what is said to be the world's first five megapixel camera phone in the Korean market, due to start shipping in a week.
The Samsung SCH-S250 is apparently based on a camera module from Japanese manufacturer Asahi Pentax, and will be available through Korean mobile operator SK Telecom at a cost of 1 million won (US$874)....
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Tuesday, October 19, 2004

PRESS RELEASE: Web Photo School introduces revitalized website with free and paid lessons for all levels of digital photographers
17:34 EDT - Watsonville, Calif.-Photoflex Inc.'s Web Photo School has relaunched its website with new free and paid digital-photography lessons that provide instant online learning for digital photographers with beginning, intermediate, and advanced skills, Chief Executive Officer Gene Kester announced today. With a library of more than 200 lessons on its website (www.webphotoschool.com), Web Photo School has... (More)

Underwater digital at the DEMA show
15:35 EDT - Wetpixel.com, the website for digital photographers with a passion for underwater photography, has posted coverage of the annual DEMA (Diving Equipment and Marketing Association) show just held in Houston.
Wetpixel's coverage includes information on underwater and water-resistant housings, flash strobes / video lights, macro lenses, and a whole lot more besides. Over 30 companies are covered, including names...
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PRESS RELEASE: Lexmark makes it easy to print photos on the go
15:12 EDT - - The P315 Snapshot photo printer is like having your own portable photo lab - LEXINGTON, Ky. - 10/18/2004 - For the second time in two months, Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) has unveiled a breakthrough in photo printing with today's introduction of the Lexmark P315 Snapshot photo printer, which offers the latest in photo printing ease-of-use features designed to uncomplicate the process... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Photoshop Elements 3 book for digital photographers released by Scott Kelby
14:50 EDT - Tampa, FL ­ October 18, 2004 ­Best-selling author Scott Kelby breaks new ground with the release of Photoshop Elements 3 for Digital Photographers. Scott shows digital photographers exactly "how to do it" by sharing inside tips and tips of the trade for correcting, editing, sharpening, retouching, and presenting photos like a pro. łThis amazing book is not a bunch of theory; it doesnąt challenge... (More)

Software Review: Qurio Reinvents Photosharing
06:38 EDT - Online photosharing is free -- in theory. The big problem is that you have to upload those high resolution images to your preferred provider's server, someplace like Ofoto, that is. And that can take a while. So (dirty little secret), you often just don't bother.
But what if you could just email your friends and family to let them know you've just copied some new pictures to your hard drive? To enjoy them, they'd just have to click on some link in your email. Their...
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Monday, October 18, 2004

PRESS RELEASE: iWatermark 2.0 Easily / Inexpensively Secures and Protects Your Digital Photos
14:33 EDT - iWatermark, the worlds No. 1 watermarking application for Mac and Windows just had a major upgrade. Version 2.0 features new effects like aqua and emboss. Includes information on how to use with iPhoto. iWatermark is now faster and even easier to use. iWatermark is an essential tool for anyone with a digital camera, professionals and beginners. Download iWatermark and try it out for 30 days: http://www.scriptsoftware.com/iwatermark/... (More)

Saturday, October 16, 2004

PRESS RELEASE: Photoshop Elements 3 users get access to 11 new how-to video tips at photoshopelementsuser.com
13:23 EDT - Tampa, FL ­ October 13, 2004 ­Today, in conjunction with the recent shipment of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3, the editors of Photoshop Elements Techniques announced that users can get access to 11 online tutorial video tips that explain how to use the new features in Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 by going to www.photoshopelementsuser.com the premier resource for the Elements community. Dave Cross, editor-in-chief... (More)

Friday, October 15, 2004

iNova's releases Nikon D70 eBook
16:16 EDT - Peter iNova, the man behind the excellent series of eBooks for owners of certain digital camera models, has been in touch to let us know that he's released a new eBook covering the Nikon D70 digital SLR.
The book is a cooperation with Uwe Steinmueller of the Digital Outback Photo website, a name many Imaging Resource readers are doubtless familiar with (Uwe's site is aimed at outdoor photographers, and...
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Canon: EOS-20D, 1D Mark II, Powershot S70 firmware
14:56 EDT - Camera manufacturer Canon has released three new firmware updates for several of its camera models in the last few days.
Canon PowerShot S70 firmware v1.0.1.0 corrects a problem with error messages when making certain print settings in camera. Versions of the camera with a black dot next to the battery slot have already...
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Bibble gets a major overhaul
16:31 EDT - Bibble, a popular RAW file converter which we've mentioned numerous times on this news page, has just been given a major overhaul that sees new releases on three different platforms.
The last major update for the program was back in early 2002, when Bibble 3.0 was released for Windows (MacBibble 3.0 followed at the start of 2003). Now, Bibble 4.0 is available for Windows, MacOS and...
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Cyber-shot DSC-T3: Not for USA?
14:23 EDT - We just received word from our contacts at Sony USA that the company will not be selling its Cyber-shot DSC-T3 model in the USA.
Announced at the end of August, the DSC-T3 is closely related to the existing (and extremely popular) DSC-T1 model, but with a new LCD display, no sliding lens barrier, and a few other minor tweaks. The...
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Olympus announces i:robe IR-500 digicam
13:54 EDT - Olympus America has today announced its new i:robe IR-500 digital camera, part of a system of products designed to remove the need for a PC in your "digital arsenal".
The i:robe IR-500 features a four megapixel imager, and a 40 - 112mm equivalent f/2.9 - f/4.8, 2.8x optical zoom lens. The camera also offers an unusual 360-degree rotating display that folds underneath...
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Olympus announces m:robe MR-500i digicam
13:50 EDT - Olympus America has today announced its first digital camera in a new series of products dubbed "m:robe".
The Olympus m:robe MR-500i features a 1.3 megapixel CMOS sensor (1.22 megapixels effective), coupled with a 35mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens. The device also features a 3.7" TFT LCD display with 307,000 pixels,...
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Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Maxxum 7D production photos?(UPDATED)
18:27 EDT - We've just posted a gallery of photos shot with Konica Minolta's upcoming Maxxum 7D digital SLR, courtesy of IR site contributor Peter K. Burian.
Images in the gallery were shot by Peter, using what he has been told by Konica Minolta Canada is a production-level Maxxum 7D. The EXIF data for the photos seems to bear this out, since the camera is...
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Monday, October 11, 2004

Review posted for Fuji FinePix E550
21:48 EDT - With their 6.3 megapixel, 4x-zoom FinePix E550, Fujifilm has created what's to my mind one of their best digicams to date.
Its color is very good, its resolution excellent, and noise levels at low ISOs are very low as well. (Kudos to Fujifilm for finally providing a low ISO setting on a SuperCCD camera.) The FinePix E550 is...
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Review posted for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P150
21:45 EDT - Taken as a package, the Sony DSC-P150 is hard to beat in the subcompact point-and-shoot digicam market.
Housed in a very small package is a 7.2-megapixel CCD, a sharp, high-quality 3x optical zoom lens, nine preset Scene modes and a host of other creative options. Its pictures are colorful and sharp, it...
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Wednesday, October 6, 2004

Review posted for Hewlett Packard PhotoSmart R707
12:45 EDT - We've just finished reviewing the HP PhotoSmart R707, and I'm finding myself having distinctly mixed feelings.
On the one hand, it captured good-looking photos with accurate color, even if its images lacked the "punch" delivered by the deliberate over-saturation of most consumer digicams currently on the market....
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Monday, October 4, 2004

Review posted for Kodak DX7630
12:18 EDT - Kodak's EasyShare digital cameras are consistently among the easiest to use of any I test, and the DX7630 is no exception.
Its fully automatic exposure control performs surprisingly well under a variety of conditions, and the range of manual exposure controls extend the camera's capabilities nicely. A wide range of preset...
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Full review posted for Canon PowerShot S70
12:10 EDT - Following the tradition of earlier high-end S-series PowerShots, the S70 is perhaps best described as a "G6 in sheep's clothing."
Compared to the G6, about all that's missing are a flash hot shoe, the tilt/swivel LCD, and the G6's internal neutral density filter. Everything else about the camera fits the needs, desires, and interests...
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PRESS RELEASE: Microsoft and FotoNation Team to Support the Media Transfer Protocol For Wireless Digital Still Cameras
11:41 EDT - New Protocol Brings Simplified Camera Connectivity and Enhanced Control Capabilities To Latest Digital Imaging Industry Products COLOGNE, Germany - Sept. 29, 2004 - Today at the Photokina 2004 trade show, Microsoft Corp. announced it is working with FotoNation Inc., a market leader in imaging and connectivity solutions for the digital photography industry, to implement Microsoft's new Media Transfer... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: The Plugin Site announces the PhotoWiz Contest 2004
11:36 EDT - October 4, 2004 - The Plugin Site (www.thepluginsite.com) is proud to announce the PhotoWiz Contest 2004, which is running from October 1 to December 31, 2004. This contest is dedicated to all creatively minded photographers. It offers them the possibility to present the best samples of their work to the public and win a lot of exciting prizes. Everyone is invited to submit his or her photos to this... (More)

Friday, October 1, 2004

PRESS RELEASE: A new high power standard zoom lens designed for exclusive use with digital (APS-C) SLR cameras
15:47 EDT - AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD ASPHERICAL (IF) MACRO Photokina, Cologne, Germany, September 28, 2004 - Mr. Morio Ono, President of Tamron Co., Ltd., announced the successful development of the AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO (Model A14), a new high power zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras using APS-C size image sensors. The new AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: RL Development Announces Support for Adobe DNG
13:45 EDT - MALMO, Sweden October 1, 2004 -- RL Development today announced support for the DNG file format. The next major release of QPict Media Asset Management Software will have support for the new Digital Negative (DNG) format from Adobe Systems Inc. This new file format geared towards creative professionals and will make it easier when working with and preserving RAW images. Registered users of QPict can... (More)

IR Photo of the Day Contest Launches!
12:00 EDT - IR launches its Photo of the Day contest!
There's no question that our readers represent an amazing body of photographic talent, and we finally decided it wasn't fair to keep all that talent under wraps. After years of seeing the amazing shots...
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